Out-in-front job-hunters know no holidays

By Linda Gaber
The Employment Santa is expected to deliver thousands of jobs before 2010. Thanksgiving through New Year’s holiday gatherings are ideal occasions to network, advertise skills and meet contacts for a new position.
Get ready with letters, business cards and confidence to use at neighborhood, school, hobby, family, recreation, alumni, as well as career and office holiday gatherings to benefit a job hunt.
“Over the years, I have noticed two holiday-season phenomena,” said Kathleen Winsor-Games, principal of The Winsor Group, a Denver executive search and coaching firm.
“A panicked hiring manager calls me and asks, ‘How am I going to fill this position by the end of the year, when there are no candidates looking?’ Next, a panicked job-seeker calls me and asks, ‘How am I going to find a job by year end, when no one is interviewing or hiring right now?’
“ . . . The moral of the story for both parties is: Don’t give up. Don’t stop looking. And, don’t assume that nothing happens around the holidays,” she said. “In fact, this is the opportune time to stand out as someone who remains focused and on plan.”

It’s a good time to shop for opportunities because:
• Through September, employers announced plans to hire almost 170,000 workers this year, 88 percent more than the planned hires announced in the same period in 2008, according to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas outplacement consulting firm. Most job prospects appear to be in retail, with 33,640 hires nationwide, in government and nonprofit sectors (planning to add about 28,500 workers), and in entertainment and leisure industries (adding 22,270).

Work contacts, not credit cards
• While employers are hiring, it is critical to be among the job-hunters. Do not be caught relaxing at home or shopping or taking time off from the job search.

• It is a more relaxed, warm-hearted time to discuss business possibilities, and office managers often are more accessible and not working on tight deadlines.

• Many employers have set 2010 budgets and goals, and are under pressure to develop strategies and implement solutions requiring new employees.

• Job-seekers can relate their 2-minute “elevator speech” of work skills and goals casually to relaxed listeners enjoying refreshments and good will.
Carry business cards to holiday events, recommended Anne Gottlieb Angerman. “Even if a person is unemployed, it’s important to have a card” listing expertise and contact info. In 1998, she founded Career Matters in Denver, offering career strategies, coaching, training, assessments and workshops.
Use a business card to explain what you do and that you are looking for a job in a certain area, she said. Collect other attendees’ contact information and ask permission to contact them after the holidays “to talk more about your suggestions or your company.”

Bring gift of listening
“More than anything,” Angerman said, “it’s important to have a two-way conversation and not hog the conversation, complaining about your situation.”
And, instead of working the stores, “It is a good time to get letters ready to send out in early January, with a cover letter and resume, stating you read about their company and thought it would be a good fit,” she said.
“It is important to keep sending out letters proactively to companies or new contacts. If a person is unemployed and does nothing during the month of December, it could lead to depression and feeling helpless or hopeless.”
Call friends, relatives, neighbors and organizations that could be holding holiday parties. Participate in nonprofit events as a volunteer. Go to association, alumni holiday or sports gatherings, trade and professional meetings. They all are open doors to employment.
Linda Gaber is a copywriter and coordinator of JobsWeekly in the Denver Newspaper Agency’s Design Department.